I personally have been waiting for this for a very long time! The Olsons of local production company The Forgery, are what I call hidden gems in Wilmington. With their strengths in outstanding cinematography and visual effects, they are the trifecta of brilliance. The Daytime Emmy nominated trio Obin, Amariah and their father Larry Olson have completed their first action/thriller titled, Unknown Caller, their first feature film. These Wilmington filmmakers can match the quality of Hollywood studio films in every department: cinematography, sound, visual effects, score, editing. They got it down to a science. And to set them apart, they have their own signature look and feel. When you see a Tony Scott flick, for example, you know it’s Tony Scott just by looking at it. The Olson’s signature is unique and all their own. They were able to encapsulate their style into this action/thriller making it look absolutely stunning.

Unknown Caller is about a psychopath who uses a family’s high tech security system with a ticking time bomb to terrorize them demanding an answer to his question; ‘WHO AM I?’

Unknown Caller’s 24 day shoot was filmed in Birmingham, Alabama. Sounds weird, being from Wilmington, our beloved film town, but there were a couple of reasons. One, the script, written by Jupiter Makins, was based in Birmingham and the southern city has undeniable landmarks that were a part of the story.

Jason Graves

Secondly, the Olsons did not know how long it would take to finish the film, and with Alabama enacting a tax credit without a sunset, it just fit with what they were doing. But no worries, they still brought the film back to North Carolina to be scored by an NC legend. BAFTA award winner,Jason Graves of Raleigh, NC composed an amazing score for the film that takes you on a journey with a desperate father and a clever tormentor.

When asked about the state of the NC tax incentive and how it affects a decision to shoot here, the Olson’s all agreed. “We would absolutely love to shoot at home [Wilmington] but in the risky business of film making you need as much financial stability as you can get. And sadly right now that’s not in NC.” When the vote takes place in May 2014 and if we can finally get rid of “sunset,” the Olsons would definitely consider shooting in their own hometown, and hire NC Film crew. Are you PAYING ATTENTION politicians!??

The thriller stars David Chisum, Louise Griffiths, and Assaf Cohen. Brothers Olson (Obin and Amariah) directed the film with their dad Larry producing. After 8 long months of post-production and 250 vfx shots later, the brothers are currently going back and forth to Hollywood to setup distribution for this picture and many more to come. So far, the sales companies are responding favorably to the film.

In the meantime, they are looking into a Wilmington screening soon. Stay up to date with this flick by following UNKNOWN CALLER ON FACEBOOK